


Goes A Long Way

by rsadelle



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Future Fic, Gen, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-23 22:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2558549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rsadelle/pseuds/rsadelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taylor's smile is as warm and welcoming as ever. The hug she gives him is so much like Mom that it makes Sid pause for a moment. Sometimes he still thinks of Taylor only as his much younger sister and forgets that she's all grown up, and a mom too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Goes A Long Way

**Author's Note:**

  * For [agalinis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agalinis/gifts).



"Uncle Sidney!" Casey pushes past Taylor and all but runs into Sid's legs.

"Hi, buddy." Sid bends down to get as big a hug from Casey as a three-and-half-year-old can give. "When did you get so big?" He stands up and hugs Taylor. "Hi."

"Hi." Taylor's smile is as warm and welcoming as ever. The hug she gives him is so much like Mom that it makes Sid pause for a moment. Sometimes he still thinks of Taylor only as his much younger sister and forgets that she's all grown up, and a mom too.

"You think he's gotten big," Taylor says, oblivious to Sid's internal monologue, "come see Cameron."

"But," Casey says, "but I'm still the biggest. I'm the big brother."

"That's right," Sid says.

Taylor shuts the door behind them and Sid reaches all the way down so Casey can hold his hand and pull him along to the living room. The Blades jersey Casey is wearing has "Mommy" and Taylor's number 30 written across the back.

There's a baby gate across the bottom of the stairs, and Cameron is corralled in her playpen in the living room.

"She's crawling," Taylor says. "Gets everywhere." She scoops Cameron out of the playpen. "Don't you, baby?" She kisses Cameron's cheek, and Cameron babbles nonsense at her. "Do you want to see Uncle Sidney?"

Sid takes Cameron and kisses the top of her head, breathes in the warm baby smell of her. "You did get big." He looks at Taylor. "It hasn't even been that long."

"They grow fast at this age," Taylor says.

"I'm still lots bigger," Casey says.

"You are," Sid says. He crouches down and lowers a squirming Cameron onto the floor, watches her crawl toward Casey.

"You're a big brother," Casey says.

"I am a big brother," Sid says, with a smile up at Taylor. They had this conversation a lot over the summer, when Casey was still adjusting to not being an only child anymore.

"Mommy's your little sister," Casey says, his face scrunched up like it's still hard for him to believe.

"For sure," Sid says.

Cameron gets to Casey and babbles up at him until he reaches under her arms and tries to help her to stand up. It doesn't work, but neither of them go crashing to the floor and Taylor doesn't try to stop them, so Sid guesses it's okay.

Casey gives up after a minute, and says, "Uncle Sidney, can we play hockey now?"

Sid grins at him. "I always want to play hockey."

Sid gets the tiny goal set up and Casey brings over mini sticks for Sid and Taylor, and then himself.

"You stay out of the way," Casey says seriously to Cameron.

"I think maybe we'll make sure of that," Taylor says, "before anyone gets hurt." She scoops Cameron up and puts her back in the playpen.

They play for a while, Sid and Taylor taking turns at being on a team with Casey, Casey insisting on being in net for a while "like Mommy."

When Cameron gets fussy about not being with them, Taylor gets her out of the playpen, and Sid helps Casey build a tower with Duplo blocks, which is something they can do without much chance of injuring Cameron.

Taylor refuses Sid's offer to help with dinner, and she floats in and out of the living room while she takes care of it.

Sid doesn't get up from the floor until Cal comes home, when he gets up to hug him after Casey yells, "Daddy!" and Cameron babbles at him.

"Good to see you," Cal says. "These two keeping you entertained?"

"For sure," Sid says. "How are you?"

"Better now that I'm home." Cal swoops Cameron off the floor and high up into the air. "How's my little girl?" He kisses her, and bends down to kiss Casey's cheek too.

"Daddy," Casey says, "Daddy, we played hockey with Uncle Sidney!"

"You did?" Cal says.

"Yes!" Casey chatters as he follows Cal to the kitchen, Sid trailing behind them.

Cal leans down to kiss Taylor, both kids hanging off of him.

For a moment, Sid is so incredibly, phenomenally jealous of Taylor and her family that he can barely see straight.

"Good timing," Taylor says to Cal. "Dinner's just about ready."

"And it smells delicious," Cal says. He hands Cameron over to Sid. "You take this one while Casey and I get ready for dinner."

Taylor directs Sid through wiping Cameron's hands down and getting her settled into her highchair with a plastic spoon she can hit on the tray.

The highchair is situated where Taylor and Cal can take turns feeding Cameron. Sid's at the other end of the table, and he helps cut up Casey's chicken and talks to him about how important it is to eat his vegetables.

Casey pouts when it's his bedtime.

"Let's go get ready for bed," Cal says, "and maybe Uncle Sidney will read you a bedtime story."

"Will you?" Casey asks.

"Yeah, I will," Sid says, "but you have to get ready for bed first."

"Too bad we can't use that one all the time," Taylor says. She smiles at Sid. "Want to come read to Cameron? It'll take a while before Casey's actually in bed."

Sid follows Taylor up the stairs, and waits until she has Cameron changed into her pajamas. Taylor picks out a book, and sits on the floor next to the rocking chair while Sid reads _Goodnight Moon_ to Cameron.

Taylor takes Cameron from Sid after he's done with the book, and puts her down in her crib. Sid stands with her while she rubs Cameron's back softly until she's completely asleep.

When they leave and cross the hall to Casey's room, he's in his pajamas in bed with a book on his lap. "Just Uncle Sidney," he says, so Cal and Taylor both kiss him goodnight, and Sid sits on the edge of his bed to read to him.

Casey insists Sid read the book again, and a third time. He's mostly asleep by the end of the third time through, and Sid leans over to brush a kiss across his forehead before he carefully stands up and slips out the door.

Taylor and Cal are in the kitchen talking, Taylor leaning against a counter while Cal cleans up. Taylor notices Sid first.

"Casey asleep?"

"Yeah," Sid says. "I had to read him the same story three times."

Taylor laughs. "Yeah, it's a thing he likes now."

With the kids in bed, Sid gets a chance to ask Taylor how her life has been since he last saw her, hear all the CWHL gossip, and find out what's been happening with Cal's job.

"I'll drive you back," Taylor says when it gets late enough that Sid has to go.

"We'll come down and see you after the game tomorrow," Cal says. "Don't worry; we already told Casey he has to wear a Penguins jersey."

Sid laughs. "Yeah, can't have him in Bruins colors." He hugs Cal goodnight and goes out to the car with Taylor.

They're barely down the street when Sid says, "I think I want to have kids soon."

Taylor glances over at him. "I thought you were waiting until you retired."

"I was," Sid says. "But that's going to be a few more years. Look how long Jagr played. I don't know if I want to wait that long."

"It's not easy," Taylor says, "playing hockey and having kids. I can't imagine doing it without Cal."

"Yeah," Sid says with a sigh. It would be easier if he had someone else to raise kids with. It would be easier if he wanted someone else to raise kids with.

"Just because it's hard," Taylor says, "doesn't mean you can't do it. Hire a nanny to be there when you're on road trips and at practice."

"I know," Sid says. "I just." He sighs. "I look at you and your kids, and I want that. I want my own kids." He turns to look at her. "Am I selfish if I have kids now? They're going to be home without me half the season, and all the attention."

"You're going to love them," Taylor says, which doesn't quite answer his question. "That goes a long way with kids."

"Yeah," Sid says. He looks out the window, watches Boston passing by and remembers what it was like to know that no matter how much he got bullied by other players and their parents, his family loved him and would do what they could to support him.

"Don't tell Mom and Dad I'm thinking about it," Sid says after a few blocks of silence. "I'm not sure yet, and there's a lot of stuff I still have to figure out before I know for sure."

"I won't," Taylor promises.

When they get to Sid's hotel, Taylor gets out of the car and comes around it to hug Sid tightly. "You're going to be a great dad," she says, "whenever you decide to have kids."

Sid kisses her cheek. "Thanks," he says. "You're a great mom."

Taylor beams at him. "Thank you." She hugs him again. "I'll see you tomorrow, after the game."

Sid waves goodbye and watches her drive off before he goes into the hotel. Tomorrow, he knows, she and Cal and Casey will all be in 87 Crosby jerseys while Cameron is home with a babysitter. Sid plays hard every game, but he'll know his family is watching and that he'll get to see them after the game. If he doesn't wait much longer, he might be able to have that with his own kids before he retires.


End file.
